Obama makes his first appointment to the US DC Circuit Court, SCOTUS training ground

[usregimechange]

Caitlin Halligan, General Counsel for the New York County District Attorney’s Office
Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
43 Years Old

Former Clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer

Former Solicitor General for the State of New York

SCOTUS appellate litigator

WH Release
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/29/president-obama-names-two-us-circuit-courts-0

Previous posts
Obama Administration Vetting N.Y. Lawyer for D.C. Circuit (Fri Jul-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8761875

:bounce:

[usregimechange]

1. Our next Justice?

[customerserviceguy]

2. Probably not

For one thing, there are still plenty who were on the short list for the last two appointments. Next, you have to consider the fact that the President will be facing a more conservative Senate the next time he tries to get someone through, and he's going to have to find someone with even a less noticeable paper trail than either of the last two nominees, or someone who is more of a centrist.

We might not see another Obama appointment until his second term, when we've hopefully taken back control in either the first or second half of it.

[Tx4obama]

3. But...

let's say that Obama doesn't get a chance to appoint another justice until five years from now - many on the current short list will be too old by then. Since Halligan is only 43 now, in five years she would be the perfect age.

Here's a link that has the ages of the folks mentioned for Obama's past short/long list (down in the section by the map): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_supreme_court

My guess is that if Obama's next appointment is during his second term then anyone that was born before 1955 will be skipped over. So, that knocks quite a few folks off of the list (the majority of them).

[usregimechange]

4. Agreed, current list will be scrapped.

[lonestarnot]

5. Now that is progress I can believe in!

:fistbump: